Technical Communication Quarterly Jan 1996

Supra-Textual Design: The Visual Rhetoric of Whole Documents

Charles Kostelnick

Abstract

Supra-textual design encompasses the global visual language of a document and operates in three modes: textual, spatial, and graphic. The rhetoric of supra-textual design includes structural functions that provide global organization and cohesion and stylistic functions that affect credibility, tone, emphasis, interest, and usability. Supra-textual rhetoric extends to other documents through conventional codes and through sets and series. Because writers may not control the end product of supra-textual design, intention may also be a rhetorical factor.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
1996-01-01
DOI
10.1207/s15427625tcq0501_2
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Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism technical communication multimodality affect and writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (18)

  1. Tham (2026)
    Evolving Information Design: Insights from Senior Experts in Technical and Prof…
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  3. Burnett et al. (2025)
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  4. Burnett et al. (2025)
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  5. DeVasto (2024)
    Toward Rhetorically Infused Methods for Relational Network Modeling: The Visual…
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  1. Campbell (2023)
    Identifying Digital Rhetoric in the Telemedicine User Interface
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  2. Pennell (2023)
    Designing Interculturally: Adopting a Social Justice Research Framework for “Se…
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  3. King et al. (2018)
    Artifactual dimensions of visual rhetoric: what a content analysis of 114 peer-…
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  4. King et al. (2018)
    Artifactual Dimensions of Visual Rhetoric: What a Content Analysis of 114 Peer-…
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  5. Passera (2018)
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  6. Passera et al. (2017)
    Diagrams in Contracts: Fostering Understanding in Global Business Communication
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  7. Zhang (2016)
    Illustrating Beauty and Utility: Visual Rhetoric in Two Medical Texts Written i…
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  8. Willerton (2005)
    Visual Metonymy and Synecdoche: Rhetoric for Stage-Setting Images
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  9. MacKiewicz (2004)
    What Technical Writing Students Should Know about Typeface Personality
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  10. Kumpf (2000)
    Visual metadiscourse: Designing the considerate text
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  11. WICKLIFF (1998)
    The Daguerreotype and the Rhetoric of Photographic Technology
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  12. VanHoosier-Carey (1997)
    Rhetoric by design: Using web development projects in the technical communicati…
    Computers and Composition
  13. Price (1997)
    Electronic outlining as a tool for making writing visible
    Computers and Composition

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CrossRef global citation count: 31 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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